- A Circle Unbroken, Once you are in the cabal, you do not leave - Through "The Passage of Muir" once again, this time they will not meet the Cadaver Priesthood (living priests infested with living maggots (psionic parasites controlling them)), but they will find traces of their passing- The Unkaralth Summoning is well on its way and the horrible vision that the Oracle had has not yet happened- The Oracle is still within the body of the Elven Priest- The Elders have pondered the vision and pinpointed the likely source of such an attack. The characters are begged to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Muir Cabal.

- The Three Laws of Hiding must be mastered (cryptically told by the Oracle)- The Devourers cometh: The horror vision of the Oracle was true and everything is turned upside down. The sanctuary is destroyed, the saviour is killed. The adventurers barely survive and awaken to ruin. - The soul of the saviour is still alive and must be carried in a crystal decanter filled with ether wine to the shrine of Sanctpurii- The Devourers are travelers through time and space and they will hunt the PCs down. To survive they must use all their skills and the Three Laws of Hiding. - The Third Law of Hiding is a ritual that allow them passage to a pocket dimension stronghold (complete with cool stuff that will make the players go "WHEEE"). The Third Law is also where an intense battle between the Devourers and the PCs will take place

- The Devourers defy the laws of time travel. They are "Other Ones", outside the Gods' creation, and the laws of the universe do not apply to them. This should get some clever PCs to begin speculating.- The Devourers are a special strain of Other Ones, a race that has the Eternals as their ancestral enemies. The Devourers are specially trained assassins, operating in squads of 5. During the attack on the sanctuary they will strike unexpectedly and the attack will involve 20 squads.- The Devourers are adept at stealth and marksmanship. They use poisons. They are humanoid-ish, with 6 arms and 2 legs, which sometimes make people think they are some kind of spiderspawn. In addition their joints allow more rotation than the joints of humans, making it possible for them to use all six arms effectively in swordplay. - The Devourers can teleport within a limited range of 15 meters. Doing so drains essence/magic points and they use it primarily to relocate themselves behind enemies.- The Devourers sometimes use their claws in close combat. They ritually dip their claws in poison before combat.- When 5 or more Devourers, as well as one Devourer Magii, are present they can travel through time and space using certain rituals. This is no instant affair, but rather day long rituals that tax the Devourers tremendously.- The Devourers always wear masks - a sign of their renounciation of self. These masks are often very elaborate and grim.- the Devourers tattoo one small crescent moon on their neck for every Eternal they have participated in hunting down. Only a few of the Devourers have one crescent, but one of them, an individual larger than any other and with only 5 arms, actually has three crescent moon tattoos.- All Devourers know a little magic. They are creatures of Prime Creation and can convert life energy into magic essence. This means that they gain magic power for every life they snuff out. They consume this strength by casting spells, teleporting and traveling through time and space (by using their powerful rituals).- A Devourer appears like a 7 foot tall humanoid, slightly bent and with jet black skin. The Devourers communicate with a deep vibrating bass sound that changes pitch slightly. The PCs will feel this sound resonating through their solar plexus whenever they communicate. The Devourers never speak before they have revealed themselves.- The Devourers have high body temperatures, in excess of 70 degrees celsius. The air they exhale seems like a thin veil of smoke. - The Devourers know that Eternals do not die even if their taken bodies does. Even a half-Eternal such as Camhol cannot die, and therefore they have specially crafted Soul Prisons - Brass Bowls with mirrored insides and a particularly thick lid. They will approach the body of a fallen Eternal with this device, and then they will force the dead eyes of the Eternal open, often carving out his eyes with their claws. The eyes will then be dropped into the device and some words incanted. There will be some minutes of staggering wind, and then smoke will appear from the corpse and be drawn into the device. When the smoke is in, the lid is put on and locked. The Eternal has been trapped. The Oracle will tell the PCs of the Pillar of Repent, wherein thousands of such devices have been sealed for all eternity. It is imperative that the Devourers do not escape with the soul of Camhol.

Clarification: These posts actually relate to two different but related plots. The plots will be played on the 12th and 13th of October (the last plot is the opening of the third and final "Prophecies" campaign.

Plot # 1: "The Ghost Cabal of Muir"This scenario is basically a wild goose chase; the result of a mistake made by the Elven Council of Elders - As their decision to send the PCs there was based on too little and too poor information. It will remove the PCs from the sanctuary during the initial stages of the Devourer attack, but it will also give the PCs access to otherworldy information and the First Law of Hiding. The Ghost Cabal itself will be somewhat unnerving.

Scenario Type: Otherworldly Wonder and Horror

Plot # 2: "Unkaralth Undone"The PCs return to the Unkaralth Citadel, the Sanctuary of the Last Elves, only to discover it in total chaos. Explosions erupt and towers fall, the once beautiful UnderGardens are aflame and there is street to street fighting, humans and elves versus Devourer teams. The most intense fighting will be in the Citadel Keep, where Camhol and the Elder Council are under siege. When the PCs arrive Camhol has been slain and his eyes are being dug out. Only an Elven ArchMage still lives, encased in a protective sphere and surrounded by 4 Devourers that unravel the sphere layer by layer with their magic.(The Arch Mage is a former PC: The Conjurer Mabulon from "The Prophecies of Redemption").

After the PCs rescue Mabulon, the Oracle hiding within the flesh of the PC Elven Priest will tell them of the Shrine of Sanctpurii and that they must carry the soul of Camhol there. At this stage the PCs will hear the deep bass sounds of several Devourer Squads approaching.

Other info: There are pockets of resistance remaining. While more than 120 elves and 50 humans have been slain (nearly half the colony), large groups have organized and are fighting in the streets, while a major group has barricaded inside the Cethelion Tower (The Citadel Armoury) and have actually made the Devourer squads retreat from that part of the citadel.

Mood: Fires and smoke. Explosions and ruins. Corpses of friends and loved ones in the streets (Nearly all the PCs have friends, kids and wives here. Possible loss of sanity points and temporary madness such as berserker rage).

Scenario Type: Part 1: Creepy street to street fighting against daunting adversaries. Part 2: Revelations inside the Citadel. Part 3: Decision making and travel (must have some handy locations ready).

Continuing beyond the rescue of Camhol:1. The PCs and the Oracle have NO idea where the Shrine of Sanctpurii is. There are some groups that may have some knowledge though (list 7 groups; covens, knighthoods, temples and libraries that might have some intel). 2. The PCs will know that they need two more Laws of Hiding (A law of hiding is two things: A Magic Ritual and an actual location or effect).3. While the Devourers will retreat as mysteriously as they arrived (They have an unknown critical weakness and always retreat before it is exposed), there is no doubt that they will return for the soul of Camhol. The Sanctuary is not a safe place anymore, with the Elder Council slain and the fortifications in ruin. 4. There are other ways in which to survive. The Shrine of Sanctpurii is one option, but it will only resurrect Camhol, not bring an end to their problems. Other options include: A) Staying on the runB) Taking up residence in the Ghost Cabal's River Island Mansion. (The nature of the pocket dimension, Muir, makes it immune to detection by magic means). This is a temporary solution, as the Devourers will find them even there. (They have time on their side, so they will eventually come and flush out the PCs). The Mansion should prove a nice location for resting and recuperating for short periods however. The Mansion is also where the two remaining rituals can be found... once the PCs learn how to locate them. (Separate methods for the two remaining Laws of Hiding). C) Flee with the refugees of the Unkaralth Citadel (This will bring danger upon the survivors)D) Head down into the lowlands and start the quest for knowledge about the Shrine.E) Head farther into the mountains and seek out the Karakaral Dwarves in their Hidden Temple of Stone and Iron. Perhaps they can help.F) Throw the soul into a deep well and hope it isn't found

Complications:- The Father of Camhol, the very Eternal that got Marion pregnant, slumbers in his Sepulchre not far from the Unkaralth Citadel. His presence will be picked up by the Devourers and, as he is a far more important prey than Camhol, he might prove a diversion as they spend some time trying to imprison him. This will be revealed by the Oracle to the PCs.- The Oracle has an agenda of its own.- Marion will go permanently insane as she discovers that Camhol has been slain. - Two new factions join in on the party: 1) The Empire has sent their Rat Sorceror and his cadre of Shadow Acolytes to find and kill the "Saviour" (Which would be Camhol, but in the visions of the Emperor's Seer Concubines he is revealed as the Bringer of Doom) and discover the reason behind the new and powerful rift in the northlands (created by the Devourers). 2) The Hexenjeagers have sent detachments to the region as the patients in their asylums have begun muttering and droning about "the doom from the mountains". They would normally not have bothered, but the frequency and intensity of these madman rambles have caught their attention. That several different asylums report the exact same ramblings has only helped in their decision to send the Hexenjaegers to the mountains.

Ah, how I have come to love that sense of accomplishment and victory that I get when I pull the wool over the eyes of a clever player character. What DM Triumphs have you had?

Some of mine:1. Finally killing an incredibly powerful, lucky, annoying player's character.2. Finally achieving a TPK (Total Party Kill)3. Finally achieving a TPK using only traps4. Finally working out how to make it so that d**n wizard doesn't steal the spotlight all the d**n time.

The Ghost Cabal Unearthed- Eight members: Anctari, Purapus, Sehnohl, Malasus, Eidonos, Kanktara, Meors and Cical.- Each cabal member exists dually: Their spirit and body are separated. The body is human (gaunt negroid with narrow noses and thin lips), while the spirit is milky translucent and has what seems like searing eyes. If the body dies, the spirit dies but not vice versa. The spirit is very hard to kill, while the body is that of an ordinary human. That is why the body can only be found in the Hall of Devotion at the heart of the Cabal Mansion. - The chief protectors of the cabal, three armour clad half giants, patrol the hallways of the mansion. - The cabal members travel the mansion, and Muir itself, as ghostly spirits. These spirits are capable of speech, magic and has a chilling touch that deals frost damage and temporary paralyzation. The spirit of Anctari is rumoured to have a gaze that turns victims into statues of salt, and thus a group of four saltine statues of Cadaver Priests can be found close by the river island of the cabal.- The spirits can be exorcised for 24 hours by powerful priests, fire damage and powerful magic weapons (during that time the body will exist alone, in terrible pain, anger and misery. All the cabal members feel the pain of the exorcised spirit and are likely to be enraged should they find the PCs).- The Hall of Devotion is a circular chamber with balconies in ten levels up to the steel and crystal dome above, where the thick yellow haze of Muir gives it a singular sheen. There are circular mosaics on the floor, and in the center is a text describing the ritual known as the First Law of Hiding. By doing certain things in this chamber, the texts for the second and third ritual will appear for some 24 hours.

Guardians of the Muir Mansion:There are three half giants that patrol the corridors of the Ghost Cabal. Their skin is pale, nearly bone white, and they have maori style tattoos covering their entire bodies and faces. They wear chain armour on torso and legs, as well as a breast plate. They are too proud to cover up their lower arms and face as these areas show the most important tattoo elements (lower arms: Strength Tattoo. Face: Soul Tattoo).

The half giants are of the Lasaka Tribe and were bought from their chieftain for a vast sum of gold. They are honor bound to serve with the cabal for another 15 years, or until they are too disabled to fight. They have been taught that the self is not important, it is the tribe that matters, and will fight like madmen to protect each other.

They all fight with an immense spear and an amazingly huge target shield. The spears are made of grey-black rustwood with steel spear heads inlaid with bronze patterns. Their round shields are made of oak and steel and the steel has the same inlaid bronze patterns as the spearhead. The wooden part of the shields have been lacquered black and any cuts and dents are always removed and any worn colour replaced.

While the half giants patrol alone, they are quick to bellow for assistance when they encounter intruders. It will take a minute or so before the others come rushing to the scene, though the cabal never bothers to assist while intruders are in the corridors. Any intruder that is detected close to the Hall of Devotion is another matter, and will be in for a world of hurt.

The half giants are 2.5 to 3.1 meters in height and they weigh between 250 and 400 kilos. There are two normal sized and one huge half giant. Their names are Lasaka Grak, Lasaka Sirokh and Lasaka Minaurk.

- Need aat least three random locations for the saturday all day long game fest. We will game for four times our usual duration.- Location idea: Mountain tribe village being raided by slavers. Corpses strewn about, women being raped, men and women being chained, children crying, isolated fighting. The players can choose to intervene. The village is quite large and actually has four streets. Street to street and cottage to cottage fighting is possible. There are a total of 50 slavers, but if the PCs free villagers they will fight on their side. The villagers are poorly equipped to battle the chain wearing slavers though. The slavers themselves hail from Silmar and one Hexenjaeger is among them. At the present he is busy torturing the tribal shaman in the chieftains long hall. If the shaman is rescued he will liberated he will sense something otherworldy over the PCs and provide a main quest clue.

Half Giant Sichon Pocteri:The Half Giants carry pouches on their belts, their so called Sichon Pocteris. If one of the half giants is slain, the other two will yield and offer the victor his Sichon Pocteri. As the half giants have never lost before, and defeating one is not easy, the cabal does not know about this unexpected weakness in their guardians.

With the vanquish of a half giant, the victor is rewarded with the respect of the other half giants and the Sichon Pocteri will attest to his fighting prowess and personal skill. Any PC carrying a Sichon Pocteri will not be challenged by a half giant of that tribe, unless the tribe is led by a war chieftain that orders otherwise (not likely as it is a breach of custom).

The carriers of Sichon Pocteris are traditionally other half giants, but it is not unheard of for one of the diminutive peoples to carry one. It has happened at least once before in recorded history.

The carrier is entitled to right of passage, shelter, one free meal every day and intercourse with the widow of the fallen. As these three half giants never wed, the last is out of the question.

The Sichon Pocteri itself is a beautiful leather pouch containing the dried ears of the half giant's fallen enemies.

The Dark CircleThe Dark Circle was a sisterhood of witches that believed in a spirit called "The Lord of Seven Desires". This spirit, or demonic power really, was the center of their ritual prayer, their divinations and the one they praised during their ritual murder-rape of men caught in the woods.

The PCs have arrived at their forested abode, a medium sized brick building surrounded by a ramshackle wooden fence. In the trees surrounding the building the sisterhood has strung up chickens after their neck. This marks their territory and also acts as a boundary: That which is within is consecrated ground - holy to the Lord of Seven Desires and his flock. The newest chickens are now days old, and maggots and flies infest them.

As soon as the PCs approach the brick building, something will seem odd. There is a whining noise from within, like the sound of steam from a kettle (which it is). Not only that, but the walls seem to be splattered in blood.

The reason is simple: The sisters of the Dark Circle finally acquired enough magic prowess and knowledge to summon the Lord of Seven Desires, or what they believed to be him. To enable him to manifest, the head sister, Lataran of Salmore, offered her naked body for possession and was placed inside a summoning circle. What really happened is uncertain, but the entity they summoned was not their beloved Lord of Seven Desires, but a darker entity still - The Demon known as "Murder, scion of Psychosis" by the learned, or simply "Malarch" by laymen.

As soon as the PCs go through the fence gate they will notice ten naked and mutilated women heaped against the fence. Their skin seems burnt, or boiled, and they have been cut with a knife again and again: eyelids cut away, gaping rifts from crotch to navel and so on. The only ones reveling in this ghastly sight are the flies, of which there seems to be millions.

It will turn out that only sister Lataran still lives, the unhappy victim of demonic manifestation. The demon allows her to have control of eyes and mouth and she will stalk the PCs, crying and begging; madly, frantically muttering childrens rhymes (she has gone completely bonkers and her mind is often seeking solace and comfort in the memories of childhood).

She appears naked, excepting a huge butchers knife and a kettle that is steaming, even though it is not on a fireplace. Her body is covered in rifts and wounds and it seems she is scolding herself as well as her victims.

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First sighting:Sister Lataran will crouch naked in front of a deceased sister, singing a childrens' song and pouring boiling water onto her breasts. She will also be scratching something onto the cheek of the woman. When the PCs step closer, she turns around and runs into another room. When the PCs check out the corpse, they will discover that the words "You are next"

Supernatural abilities gained by the demon presence:-Twice natural speed-Can be utterly silent if it desires, but it thrives on the horror that the muttering and boiling steam instills in the PCs. It is also so arrogant it believes it cannot be defeated by mere mortals.-Supernatural strength-Immune to soul affecting magics

Limitations:- Body is tougher than normal, but still feels pain (it is the enslaved spirit of sister Lataran that screams, not the demon)- Arms hacked off stay hacked off (no regeneration)- Organ damage is most likely fatal, though blood loss seems not so dangerous.- Vulnerable to frost related magics and holy items and weapons

Tactics:- Hit and run (The PCs will hear the sound of the kettle and the maddened crying and muttering ever "around the next corner" (she is using her superior speed to toy with them). She will then hit the PCs, preferably a lone PC, and try to murder him quickly. If she does murder him, she will also try to mutilate his/hers corpse and pour boiling hot water over his/hers carcass.

She will not tire until they are all dead or she is dead (or exorcised) herself.

Benign encounters:- Mountain Tribe Hunters: A team of seven huntsmen have set camp when the PCs happen upon them. While wary at first, they will invite any friendly PCs into the camp for a meal and a night of safe slumber. They consider the PCs additional security and seem somewhat agitated over something. Any PC prying might learn that the hunting party recently encountered a strange group of six armed black humanoids. Luckily they remained undetected, but a caravan of Silmarite Priests did not and paid for their error - They were butchered to the last man. (Foreshadowing the fall of the Unkaralth Citadel).- The Hermit in the Tower: In the middle of the forest the PCs discover a low, square stone tower. Initial probing (shouting and knocking on the door) does not yield any results and the tower seems unoccupied. If they enter they will discover otherwise: Inside a man has torn open the floor and is currently digging a hole that has now reached some eight meters of depth. When hailed the man will look up, his eyes wild and gleaming. It seems he is digging for demons, for they are sure to have hidden somewhere below. Not only that, but if the characters have already encountered sister Lataran of the sisterhood recently, the hermit will smell "demonic scents" on them and he will begin to scream and run in circles (once he has climbed out of the "demon pit"). Unless the PCs have met with the demon possessed sister Lataran he will be quite harmless. Should they, however, have met with the demon possessed girl, he will smell the scent on them and follow them after they leave. He is adept at sneaking and it will be difficult to detect him. At night he will attempt to sneak up on a guard and hit him in the back of the head with his shovel. He will then proceed to do the same to the others... repeatedly. (Background: He once had a family that he loved very much. His wife grew bored and sought pleasure in the arms of another man and that man carried the demon taint. So the taint spread, from lover to wife to child after child. At last eight out of nine children, as well as his wife, were tainted by demonic possession and during an eerie family dinner the hermit slew them all, except from his youngest daughter which he sent to a convent nearby).- The Red Sword Mercenary Company: This is a crack group of war veterans currently out of employment. They have broken camp and are heading for the lowlands, their half year long family reunion in the mountains now at an end. They are in a good mood, chanting and singing while riding at a low pace towards the lowlands. If the PCs desire they can hire them for 5 copper per head per day (in a low cash setting). Given that there are 53 mercs this means some two and a half gold a day (using the standard 100 copper for a gold calculation method). In my setting a farm worker earns 3 gold and 6 silver each year - The mercs are therefore rather expensive, but something that adventurers might be able to afford.

The Final Resting Place of a Great Shaman: While traveling in the mountains, a cave will come into view. If the PCs decide to explore, as PCs are wont to do, they will discover a pile of skulls near the entrance (the skulls of the shamans he enslaved on his path to becoming "Great Shaman" - when he died, so did they (against their will)). He did not hold any power over them in death, so now they are but skulls and pose no danger to the PCs whatsoever.

Inside they will find several flat slabs of stone have been formed into stairs of sorts and they lead up to a great chamber where the Great Shaman has been buried under a pile of rocks. Initially the chamber looks empty, save for the rocks and a small stream that trickles into a pool near the pile of rocks. Also there is nothing of danger in the chamber, except should the PCs disturb the resting place of the shaman, which will invoke the anger of the spirit companion he had while still breathing. This spirit is a powerful water spirit and manifests as a mist. Its attacks are performed with telekinesis and soon more stones will be flying around the chamber than the PCs would wish.

If the PCs do not disturb the grave nothing will happen. Even more: There is nothing on the bones of the shaman, nothing at all. There IS treasure hidden in the chamber however and a PC willing to dive into the pool will find it to be narrow and long. If he swims and climbs vertically down for 4 meters he will discover the bounty that the shaman brought to the grave. The cave is narrow and difficult to traverse to get down there and the bones of an unsuccessful looter will also be found here.

Treasure:-Four thousand polished redbrand stones (the currency of the Haku People of the Mountains)-A locked box containing the skulls of thirty infants (a powerful source of magic for the shaman, worthless and disgusting for non-shamans)-A ritual flame dagger made of redbrand stone- A lovely diamond necklace containing some 25 diamonds and formerly belonging to Kurfürstin Elana Hartberger who died in an ambush in the mountains. The shaman claimed it and loved the necklace so much he wore it every day for the rest of his life. The diamond necklace is a family heirloom of the family of Kurfürst Hartberger, who still mourns the loss of Elana. While the diamond necklace is priceless, it can be sold for thousands of gold pieces (it is worth much more). Indeed, the PCs will be hard pressed to find a fence that can give even a thousand gold. If they go to a jeweller he will instantly recognize it for what it is (the necklace is something of a legend) and he will inform them that it belongs to Kurfürst Hartberger. If the PCs go to him with it they will be rewarded well for their efforts, and the gratitude of a Kurfürst is a boon indeed. If they first go to a jeweller and then DON'T go to the Kurfürst, he is likely to hear of this and send hired help to retrieve it.

Okay, the party failed the campaign. They finally understood that they have been manipulated for years and years of real time (decades in game time) and they froze. They fled. And they fled to the wrong place. They escaped to the sanctuary of the elves, thinking it a safe place and not realizing that they would be bereft of their property and isolated there.

So now the survivors are either: A) in exile, without their equipment, on a deserted island in the archipelago of the elves. Mighty magics prevent teleportation and translocation and they are too far from the mainland to escape by boat (not to mention the confusing mists that surround the archipelago. or B) treated as second rate elves (elves only), being assigned to temple service, or wiping the streets.

Okay, the first post here is about magic spells actually. The setting they are gonna play in is the Steppe Queen, the Steamwork City, wherein is the last bastion of the Ling People.

This here then is a brain storm for spells for the Ling People Shadow Mage that one of my players are gonna play (I don't use generic spells):Note: He wants to play a combat oriented mage.

Power of Astenthur (Telekinetic Throw):Telekinetic hands grapple the enemy (random body location) and attempts to throw him away from the caster. The strength of the throw is governed by the amount of essence the mage puts into it (Coldforged System Notes: cost - 15/MS, distance - ((MS-Weight) / 5), resistance: Potency vs Weight on resistance table).

Hands of Zakaneshna (Rip Organ Touch):The hands of the mage beckon the internal organs of the enemy. On a successful touch, where he can put his palm on the body of the opponent, there is a chance the organs of the enemy burst through his skin, landing in the hands of the mage.

Darkflame (Black flame)A black flame, with a deep bluish core, appears in the favored hand of the mage. It won't do any damage to the mage, but can be used either in melee or be thrown by the caster. Either action requires a roll to determine whether the caster hit his victim. Note that the flame emits no light to speak of and can't be used as illumination.

If the flame connects with someone or something else than the caster, it will stick to that victim for at least 3 rounds.

Round 1: The flame sears into the skin, burning like acid, and delivers damage to that location. (CSN: 1D6/armour burn, cost 3, resistance: avoid)Round 2: Unless doused, the flame spreads to nearby locations, dealing damage to all these locations.Round 3: Unless doused, there is a 30% chance the flame continues to burn in each location. If so apply damage.

Sorcerous Healing (Necromantic Heal)By cutting open a vein of his own, or that of a victim, the mage heals another's wound by perverting the life (white) essence found in blood. The blood must be splattered over the wound to be closed and will even mend bones.

Note: Any disease carried in blood can and will infect the one being healed. (CSN: 1 pt healing / MS)

Shadow CallThe Shadows seem to lengthen and stretch, enveloping the caster (unless the sun is straight above and no clouds). It almost seems as if the shadows hide portions of him, making him an extremely hard to hit target. This spell penalizes the enemies chance to hit and increases the mages chance to hide and ambush. (CSN: 3)

Start with a bang: -The PCs start in a hopeless situation, trapped inside the "Wailing Tower" located in "The Gloom", which is a district of the Steamwork City. - They were there on an assignment gone horribly wrong. The circumstances of this assignment will color the future sessions of this thread of adventures.- Weave these scenarios vaguely into their previous campaigns and throw in references and hints to those campaigns. - Start low on hit points with some critical wounds. The session start itself will begin with a nightmarish dream (see "Of Dreams" on the main site) and then they will awake, bloodied and near death, their ears ringing and an explosion throwing them several meters away. A new scenario has begun

by Lord Alfred Tennyson(1809-1892)Her arms across her breast she laid;She was more fair than words can say;Barefooted came the beggar maidBefore the king Cophetua.In robe and crown the king stept down,To meet and greet her on her way;‘It is no wonder,’ said the lords,‘She is more beautiful than day.’

As shines the moon in clouded skies,She in her poor attire was seen;One praised her ankles, one her eyes,One her dark hair and lovesome mien.So sweet a face, such angel grace,In all that land had never been.Cophetua sware a royal oath:‘This beggar maid shall be my queen!’

In the Thieving Halls, where the lord of the underworld holds his audiences, his new lady of the dark has started making appearances. She is a beautiful woman, the eyes of men, and some women, constantly upon her. But even as the world of crime holds its breath in her presence, she spun her web.

Now five years have passed. The lord of the underworld passed on, dying peacefully in his sleep.

The Lady of the Dark lay in a mournful heap, chest heaving, tears that cannot be stopped.

And in came the quartermaster, chief among thugs.

Milady, are you okay?

A sight of profound beauty, the lady did not respond. Her chest heaved, her tears ran, her face a glimpse of divinity.Fighting his manly needs, the quartermaster did not know whether he should comfort her, or mount her.

How silken smooth her skin. How seducing her perfumed scent, her sad, sad eyes.The Quartermaster found he wanted to quiet her sobs, replace them with moans.

Atop the fair lady the quartermaster found happiness.

"Say noble quartermaster, can you grant me one boon?"

"For you, my lady, I will do anything"

For men always do.

The quartermaster went, in came Shadowlord, chief among assassins.

"Say noble Shadowlord, can you grant me one boon?"

"For you, my fair princess, I would give my life"

For men always will.

Dreams RevisitedPlotline

A Moonlit Shrine & Sounds of the QuietLocation

The Stalker in the ShadowsCharacter WeaveThere is a prize on one of the characters' head (due to personal background). Not a vast sum, but enough to attract attention. After him is Xao Xiphoa, a bounty hunter of some skill. They will spot him once or twice and after a while he will make an appearance. This will happen while the party is asleep and any sentry must make the appropriate skill checks vs. Xao's stealth abilities (he is above average but not good).

If he is undetected, Xao will drug the character in question and make off with him. While carrying an adventurer, Xao should be easy to track.

This will play out in one of two ways: A) Xao is detected and must attempt to flee (he is no match for the combined fury of the adventurers) or B) he makes off with the adventurer and must be chased down. This will involve some downtime for the kidnap victim and should be resolved quickly to avoid boredom. If Xao reaches his safehouse he will have two lackeys to help him out.